Quiznos operated on super-low margins, and had a really tough combination of events in the late noughties that killed it.
First off, their big advantage over Subway was toasted sandwiches, and then Subway added toasters, started the “$5 Footlong” campaign to under cut on price, Quiznos corporate got taken over in a leveraged buyout that transferred massive debt to the company, and then they tried getting customers back by sending out millions of “Free Sandwich” coupons they expected the franchisees to honor at their own expense, which they overwhelmingly refused to do, resulting in a massive consumer backlash and boycott. And then the 2008/2009 financial meltdown hit.
That was all in like 18 months. It was brutal. Over 90% of locations closed in just a few years, and a quick Google search shows only 153 left in the country as of June out of nearly 5000.
There’s a gas station on I-35 north of Austin I know of that has one still, but the menu looks like it’s pretty different.
It’s a shame because they were decent sandwiches. I knew a guy who opened a bunch of them in Houston in the late 90s jslust before they really picked up steam nationally. He was doing pretty well for the first couple years. He died before the collapse, but I think he’d gotten out of Quiznos by then and was doing Buffalo Wild Wings locations.
It’s not a great meatball, but so few sandwich shops even have them these days. Jersey Mike’s used to have a great one. Quiznos had a decent one too.
Firehouse has one, but it’s not amazing either.
Whatever happened to Quiznos?
Quiznos operated on super-low margins, and had a really tough combination of events in the late noughties that killed it.
First off, their big advantage over Subway was toasted sandwiches, and then Subway added toasters, started the “$5 Footlong” campaign to under cut on price, Quiznos corporate got taken over in a leveraged buyout that transferred massive debt to the company, and then they tried getting customers back by sending out millions of “Free Sandwich” coupons they expected the franchisees to honor at their own expense, which they overwhelmingly refused to do, resulting in a massive consumer backlash and boycott. And then the 2008/2009 financial meltdown hit.
That was all in like 18 months. It was brutal. Over 90% of locations closed in just a few years, and a quick Google search shows only 153 left in the country as of June out of nearly 5000.
There’s a gas station on I-35 north of Austin I know of that has one still, but the menu looks like it’s pretty different.
It’s a shame because they were decent sandwiches. I knew a guy who opened a bunch of them in Houston in the late 90s jslust before they really picked up steam nationally. He was doing pretty well for the first couple years. He died before the collapse, but I think he’d gotten out of Quiznos by then and was doing Buffalo Wild Wings locations.
Damn, that sucks. They did have a pretty decent menu. Their sock monkey “any coupon works” commercial in the 00’s was hilarious.